Bored with minesweeper?  Why not try something a little more exciting?  All you'll need is a Commodore 64 emulator running on your main PC, and you'll open the door to over a thousand games in the "Boulder Dash" style, which is not so different from a minesweeper type of game.

To give you an idea of the popularity of the game Boulder Dash and the many variants and clones it spawned on the Commodore 64 alone you need only check the GB64.com website and perform a SEARCH on the genre  Arcade - Boulderdash.  (Yes, it has its own genre for searching!)  The amazing number of results currently sits at 1064 games.  With names like Crazy Dash, Michingo-Dash and ProfiBoulder, the majority are public domain and unpublished games.

Several months ago I briefly introduced one variant here along with some other games called PP Digger.  It had the added element of trapped creatures that would come after your "digger" if you didn't crush them intentionally.

An apparent play on the word "balderdash", the original game, released in 1984 is downloadable HERE.  Written by programmer Peter Liepa, it was followed by a long series of Boulder Dash sequels.

Because of the relatively static graphics in tiles, hacking the original Boulder Dash to make your own puzzle screens for others to enjoy was probably one of the initial allures for amateur game makers that got them making so many Boulder Dash clones.

The concept behind the game is what made it so appealing to a wide audience.  Essentially it is a puzzle game with some elements of action - more or less - depending on the variant.  Your in-game character must "dig" around a screen-sized map for diamonds and avoid getting crushed by falling boulders or blocking off a method of escape from the maps.

The twist is that it is easy to deny yourself access to diamonds or an exit by digging under and dropping boulders haphazardly.  The game often requires thinking two or three steps ahead, which is where the puzzle element comes into play.

Because the boulderdash games are generally easy to play in an emulator using a keyboard instead of a joystick or gamepad, it makes them a good choice for playing in the background on your windowed operating system.

If you need the Boulder Dash or related game files, click HERE.  Then go to the "Latif" links in the lower right to download for the games you've selected.

If you're new to C64 Emulation, check out this easy tutorial here: Step by Step - How to Play Commodore 64 Games on a PC

And finally, enjoy your digging - it can be addictive!